Patrick Ewing admits it'll be strange when he walks out onto the Madison Square Garden floor Tuesday night for the first time since leaving the Knicks.

	Ewing is having the worst season of his career, but should be ready for the Knicks.

"Going to sit on the other bench, I'm not used to that," he said. "But I've got a lot of great memories of my days in the Garden. It'll be emotional."

Ewing's return as a part-time Sonic player will be highly emotional for Knicks fans, as well. Most loved him in his 15 seasons as the team's franchise player. Some grew to hate him, whether it was sour-pusses in the media he had no time for, or fans who felt that Ewing should have given them his autograph and not the back of his hand. Or those who placed the blame solely on No. 33 for all those playoff runs that failed to result in a championship.

But the one thing both sides have to admit is that with Ewing gone, the Knicks aren't even in a position to compete for the championship. Every year, for the better part of 12 or 13 seasons, he at least gave Knicks fans hope that they could win it all, something that hasn't happened in almost 30 years.

The other day, New York traded for one of Ewing's best friends and another ex-Knick, Mark Jackson. One tabloid back-page crowed, "Hijaxed," in effect saying the Knicks had stolen Jackson from the Toronto Raptors. But in actuality, the trading deadline deal did nothing to help address the Knicks' numerous flaws: Rebounding, defending the perimeter against quick guards and the lack of size along the baseline.

	“	What's he, 38? Some guys can play that long, but they're special. Like Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) or the Chief (Robert Parish). But look at all the wear and tear that Patrick's taken over the years. He got a lot of mileage on those legs, playing for Riley in New York. ”
		— Shaq on Patrick

With Ewing's departure, the Knicks' biggest deficiency remains its lack of a franchise talent. He wasn't that good in his final seasons, but he was always among the league's top players during the Pat Riley years and for a time after that.

"Here's a guy who has not been appreciated the way he should be appreciated in this city," Jackson said over the summer, when the fans couldn't wait to see get Ewing a plane ticket out of town. "How can you be a better team without Patrick Ewing, one of the greatest centers to ever play the game? They are not a better team and whoever tells you that is a liar."

Whoever says Ewing's former team isn't in trouble, now and for the long run, isn't telling the truth, either.

With millions to burn, the Knicks always conduct business with a blind eye toward the salary cap. If they re-sign Allan Houston this summer, they'll be at nearly $80 million for next season -- about twice what the cap is projected to be. Future years are no better. When asked by an associate when the Knicks will be under the cap, GM Scott Layden answered, "Not in our lifetime."

Now you know why they can never just go out and sign a franchise talent who might test the free agent waters. Everything will have to be done via a sign-and-trade move, which is a longshot at best. Because they'll always make enough minor moves, like the Jackson deal, to stay competitive, they'll never be bad enough to win the lottery and get a No. 1 overall pick.

Ewing vs. Knicks starting centers

PPG: 9.2 vs. 10.6 FG pct.: 42.2 vs. 51.8 RPG: 8.1 vs. 10.2 Blocks: 65 vs. 101 Comparing Ewing's numbers to those of the players who have replaced him in the Knicks lineup, Marcus Camby, Luc Longley and Kurt Thomas have combined for more points, more rebounds and a better field goal percentage than Ewing. Camby has started 42 games this season and has led the Knicks' starting centers a lot more blocked shots than Ewing.

While Garden execs point proudly to their sellout streak, now at 375 games, the longest active streak in the league, the franchise, in fact, is on a treadmill to nowhere.

At least when Ewing was in his prime, hitting jumpers and clearing the defensive boards, they weren't just spinning their wheels. No, he never got the Knicks past Michael Jordan, but nobody else was able to do that, either. Yes, he got outplayed by Hakeem Olajuwon in 1994 and the Knicks went down in flames in the seventh game, courtesy of a former CBA'er named John Starks.

Ewing made some big shots in his time in New York. But his misses, like his errant finger-roll against Indiana in 1995, are better remembered than some of the suspect supporting casts that surrounded him. During his final season as a Knick, he complained about shots and minutes and his reduced role and forced his way out of town, all the way to Seattle.

Where it's been even worse for Patrick Ewing.

He's averaged nine points, eight rebounds -- a quarter's worth of work, in his prime -- and most nights he's been bolted to the floor.

"What's he, 38?" asked Shaquille O'Neal. "Some guys can play that long, but they're special. Like Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) or the Chief (Robert Parish). But look at all the wear and tear that Patrick's taken over the years. He got a lot of mileage on those legs, playing for Riley in New York."

Now he comes back to the Garden, where, one day, his No. 33 will be hoisted to the rafters. To get that honor in New York, normally you need to have won at least one title. But Ewing is a special case.

"Knicks fans are going to appreciate Patrick more when he's gone and they see what they're missing," Garden CEO Dave Checketts said back in September, when the organization finally cut their ties with Ewing. "That's the kind of player he was for this franchise."

The kind they could use again.

	Willis

	Carter

Rim Shots